On 31 December AD 406, a group of German tribes crossed the Rhine, pierced the Roman defensive lines and began a rampage across Roman Gaul. Foremost amongst them were the Vandals and their search for a new homeland. The Romans were unable to stop them and their closest allies, the Alans, marching the breadth of Gaul and making themselves masters of

Simon MacDowall was born in England but from the age of 10 grew up in Canada. He joined the Canadian army, was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Dragoons and saw active service with the UN in Honduras and Nicuragua and with NATO in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. In 1994 he was the UN spokesman in Sarajevo. He later worked for NATO as a civilian before joining the UK civil service, where he was the Communications Director for several departments, including the Ministry of Defence and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. In his spare time he is a keen wargamer and military historian, with eight previous books to his name, including two previous volumes in this series: The Vandals and The Goths.